Dr Oz: Are Sugar Substitutes Bad for You?

Dr Oz spoke about Sugar Alternative after discussing fabulous Sleep Remedies. Do you swap out real sugar for sugar substitutes because you’re trying to lose weight? On today’s show, Doctor Oz was joined Internist, Dr. Keri Peterson, to give you the real skinny on sugar substitutes. We understand that too much sugar is bad for your health, but are the blue, yellow and pink packets safe for you? Plus, find out the healthier options for your substitutes. You should also read the recap of a previous show Dr Oz did on Artificial Sweetener Alternatives.

Dr. Peterson says that people are concerned with sugar substitutes because they’re made in a lab and not natural.

Dr Oz answered the question: Are Sugar Substitutes Bad for You?

Those that use them want to know what these substitutes are doing to their bodies. Are they making you fat? Do they cause cancer? Doctor Oz discussed these issues and more.

The average American consumes a staggering amount of sugar substitutes each year. Even more surprising, sugar substitutes are hidden in your favorite packaged foods.

Dr Oz: Aspartame

-little blue packets
-200x sweeter than sugar

Dr Oz: Saccharin

-pink packet
-been around the longest
-300x sweeter than sugar
-founded in the 1870s
-in 1900s, manufacturers snuck this product into food in place of sugar because it was cheaper

Dr Oz: Sucralose

Do Sugar Substitutes Cause Cancer?

Does it Cause Cancer:
-Dr. Peterson says no. There is no evidence that sugar substitutes cause cancer in humans.
-Saccharin has been linked to cancer in animals years ago.
-No longer on the list of cancer causing agents so it is not listed as such on the package.

Do Sugar Substitutes Cause Neurological Damage?

-Dr. Peterson says sugar substitutes have no impact on the brain or learning behavior.

Do Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat?

-Dr. Peterson says sugar substitutes may cause weight gain.
-Happens because you may have the urge to overindulge and end up eating more.
-This concerns Dr Oz because it’s a real issue.

Dr Oz: Stevia

Dr Oz Diet Soda Split Recipe

-Drink Dr Oz’s Diet Soda Split
Mix 50/50 of diet soda and seltzer water
Cuts down on the amount of consumed sugar substitutes
You should also try out Dr Oz’s Soda Recipes that are natural and much healthier than traditional soda.

-Add low calorie craving killers
Chia seed
Ground flaxseed

Check your foods labels for aspartame, saccharin and sucralose. Make sure they’re at the bottom of the ingredient list (or not listed at all) to ensure your favorite food product does not contain too much of it.

I am very Confused about your info on Aspartame, saying that it does not cause any harm.

A Nurse, up here in Canada, showed Tim Hortons Workers what Aspartame does to a Brain by pouring Aspartame directly on a Real Human Brain. The Brain started to Shrivel Up…

Soooooo, If Aspartame isn’t Bad for human consumption, Why then did the Human Brain start Shrivelling???

PLEASSSSE Dr Oz will you get back to me with an Answer because I am very worried about my excessively Obese Sister, who I Finally Trained to stay away from Aspartame, who has Now gone back to drinking beverages with Aspartame, just because Your show said it was Not Harmful in Any Way.

Yet, you do heed the message to make sure all Artificial Sweetners are at the bottom of the list of ingredients?!? If it’s Not Harmful, why would anyone have to worry about where it is listed on the ingredients list???

ASPARTAME, Our son gets an instant Migraine Headache if he eats or drinks any product with Aspartame. I absolutely respect Dr. Oz and everything he does, but to have a guest on his show that claims Aspartame does not cause neurological damage shows a serious lack of research on this subject.

ASPARTAME, according to Dr.Russell Blaylock who is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon causes Excitotoxicity.

Excitotoxicity is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by excessive stimulation by neurotransmitters such as glutamate and similar substances. This occurs when receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (glutamate receptors) such as the NMDA receptor and AMPA receptor are overactivated. Excitotoxins like NMDA and kainic acid which bind to these receptors, as well as pathologically high levels of glutamate, can cause excitotoxicity by allowing high levels of calcium ions[2] (Ca2+) to enter the cell. Ca2+ influx into cells activates a number of enzymes, including phospholipases, endonucleases, and proteases such as calpain. These enzymes go on to damage cell structures such as components of the cytoskeleton, membrane, and DNA.

Excitotoxicity may be involved in spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss (through noise overexposure or ototoxicity) and in neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, alcoholism or alcohol withdrawal and Huntington’s disease. Other common conditions that cause excessive glutamate concentrations around neurons are hypoglycemia and status epilepticus.

I just wanted to completely agree with the previous post referring to Dr.Blaylock I hope people that read these comments will do their own research and learn that Aspartame is THE worst additive in food today.

I’m sorry but I think I’ve lost all respect towards Dr Oz for even having someone on his show “Claiming” that Aspartame does NO HARM…

Not only do I myself get violent migraines & jittery (not jittery as in hyper, but jittery as in loss of control, like misjudging when picking things up or putting things down) but my 2 kids suffer severe migraines also. It’s almost the same effect I get from MSG except with MSG I also get violent Bowel attacks. Needless to say I haven’t had MSG for almost 30 yrs & No Aspartame for over 20 yrs.

I really wish Dr Oz would have another show on Aspartame. I don’t understand Why he did what he did by having this 1 person on Claiming Aspartame is Harmless. Maybe the audience should be allowed to bring their own Medical Professionals in on the Dr Oz show so there’s No Biased opinions whatsoever. Just a thought!!!

I strongly believe that the Aspartame Claim on the Dr Oz show was a Hoax & he (Dr Oz) was told he Had To Do the show or else.

Folks, Dr. Blaylock is an exposed quack. His views on many issues including vacinations causing various problems to his profit making ideas go against every basic scientific notion. Many intelligent people do believe in him because he is very persuasive and people love to follow the alarmists among us. Look deeply into the records and you will see that he is self-motivated for his own gains and he is quite possibly mentally deranged.

If aspartame is safe to use, why does the FDA’s govt website say it breaks down into formaldehyde in the body and over time builds up in the fat cells causing things such as depression, seizures, memory loss, vision loss, anxiety attacks, personality changes, heart palpitations, chest pain, diabetes, excessive weight gain (in some cases), can cause chronic illnesses as well? (many other things I left out…just a sample)

And after quite a long time suffering from depression and dealing with so many different medications, why did the depression go away magically when I stopped drinking diet mt dew?

Is it really hard to put two and two together? The more fake food we eat and drink the more health problems we have as a society. You can’t buy hardly anything at the store now that doesn’t have chemicals laden in it. Unless you go organic with your fruits, veggies and grains, you get chemical laden fruits, veggies and grains as well. Now with the GMO, you’re screwed. Personally, I want to move my family on a farm so we can grow our own fruits and veggies and such. I would love to have a cow to milk for regular milk, cheese, yogurt, etc that I make at home and chickens for eggs. But with my heart condition, that’s a little too ambitious. I get worn out too easily to run an entire farm with my husband working full time.

I have been drinking tea since going from 100 pounds at 30 years old to 186 pounds at 35 years old. In this tea, I have been using a liquid saccharin. I had lot down to 135 pounds which would be a great weight for me at my age and body structure; however, I now weight 165 pounds and have not drank anything with sugar in it for years. I also do not eat a lot (at all). I have horrible migraines, high cholesterol, arthritis (I am 48) in my hands and knees, constant back pain. There is never a moment when something is not hurting. I also have very poor memory, bad vision now requiring bifocals that keeps getting worse and worse. I have to believe the saccharin may have something to do with it. I am going to learn to drink my tea unsweetened or learn to drink nothing but water. I have a family history of diabetes and had gestational diabetes but am not diabetic. I WILL NOT USE THESE SWEETENERS AGAIN.

I believe aspartame is banned in Europe. They are more stringent than the US and are not so bound to lobbyist…I’m sorry, but did this guest have some tie to the food industry and were his associations fully disclosed?

Aspartame is a low-calorie, intense artificial sweetener. It is a white, odorless powder, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. In Europe, it is authorized to be used as a food additive in foodstuffs such as drinks, desserts, sweets, dairy, chewing gums, energy-reducing and weight control products and as a table-top sweetener.